30 Days

by Grace Owens

  “Have you applied to any music-program?” she asked, continuing to eat her burger and fries.

  “Yeah. In New York.” I sighed.

  “New York?” she asked in shock, her eyes almost bulging out. I nodded. “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “Uh, never mind.” She shook her head before she continued with her questions. “Are you going?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t exactly told my parents about it. As far as they know, I’m going to UW to go to medical school.”

  “You should tell them,” she said softly, looking at me with those doe eyes of hers. “I’m sure they’ll understand more than you think.”

  “You don’t know my dad.”

  “No matter what, Collin, waiting will only make things worse. And what would be even worse than that, would be you ignoring your own goals, only following someone else’s.”

  She’s right…

  DAY 15

  BELLA

  YESTERDAY COLLIN AND I had... bonded. It wasn’t about what days we were allowed to kiss, or about sex. It was about life.

  I felt sorry for him as he told me about his goals compared to his father’s. I was lucky to have a father who understood mine, but I felt for him.

  He was different. Not like the other guys I knew. He was sweet when he let you see it. He wasn’t the man whore every girl in school made him out to be. Sure, he was probably not the nicest guy out there and he had his flaws, but I believed him when he told me about the rumours and how they weren’t true.

  Jessica King can suck it!

  The only thing that could destroy my good mood was walking towards me right now.

  “Isabella Andrews,” he said in a silky, but sleazy, voice.

  “James,” I acknowledged him, starting to walk away because I had no desire to talk to that jerk.

  “I’ve noticed that you’re hanging out quite a lot with Jacobs.”

  “So?” I raised my eyebrows. That was neither a secret nor a problem. And it sure as hell didn’t concern him.

  “Have you told him about us?” he asked, standing in front of me to stop me from walking any further. We were standing in the middle of the hallway and yet no one made a move to help me.

  “What’s there to tell? How small of a dick you have?”

  He was really starting to annoy me, but that was no surprise. I despised the guy standing in front of me – all blond hair, blue eyes and that sleazy smirk on his face. It wasn’t at all like Collin’s.

  I had no idea why I had once crushed on this guy.

  “You’re still the same old hag you’ve always been.”

  “And you’re still the same asshole you’ve always been.”

  “Touché, Isabella.”

  I hated that name. No one called me that anymore.

  “What exactly do you want, James?” I sighed in defeat.

  “To make sure you won’t tell anyone about what happened.”

  “Oh, you don’t want the whole school to know what an asshole you truly are? That you’re not Prince Charming after all.”

  “If you tell, I’ll let everyone know what a pathetic little girl you are,” he threatened.

  “Have you maybe forgotten about my dad’s little threat about pressing charges, hmm?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Never mind, I don’t care anymore. Just so you know, if you tell, I will let everyone know who James Hunter truly is.”

  With that, I left him. I didn’t want to waste my energy being angry with him, but he had a way of always getting under my skin. He had ruined my teenage years and I hoped to God he wasn’t going to ruin the rest of my life.

  I needed to move on. I needed to talk about it, leave it behind me once and for all.

  “Okay, what’s wrong, Bella?” Collin asked.

  We were standing in the parking lot, waiting for Amanda and Jackson to finish making out in the janitor’s closet. Collin had offered to keep me company.

  I really need to get my car fixed.

  “James,” I answered honestly, pursing my lips tightly together.

  “What did he do?” he asked, and for once, he wasn’t prying in the past.

  “He threatened to tell everyone what a pathetic girl I truly am if I told anyone about what happened. Or you, specifically.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking…” he trailed off hesitantly. I let him continue. “Why the hell isn’t the info about it already out there? I mean, I didn’t really know that you had dated him in the first place until a week ago.”

  “Because my dad threatened to press charges against him. James was too stupid and scared to actually check to see if it was possible for us to press charges to begin with. That’s why only a few people know about it.”

  There. That was the revealing of the day.

  “Oh,” was Collin’s brilliant answer.

  “Yeah,” I mumbled just as Jackson finally arrived. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely,” he said with a big goofy smile.

  Adorable... annoying... sweet... stalker. The guy is so many things all in one.

  DAY 16

  BELLA

  ”DO YOU WANNA come with me to Olympia?” Collin asked as I put my books away in my locker.

  The day was finally over.

  “And what would we be doing in Olympia?” I asked skeptically.

  “Fuck if I know.” He shrugged. “Maybe eat something and then go to a movie?”

  “That sounds awful a lot like a date, Collin.”

  “I promise it’s not a date. I’ll even let you pay your share,” he said enthusiastically. “Pretty, please?”

  “You think I’m pretty?”

  “No, you’re sexy as hell, but considering it’s not the weekend, I try to look at you like just a pretty girl.” He smirked.

  It was Thursday. No practice and nothing good on TV. It was in general just as boring as a Sunday with the exception that you were in school. Besides, he wasn’t asking for a date…

  “Fine, I’ll go with you, but it’s still not a date and I’m not going to let you pay for me.”

  Neither of us wanted anything fancy since we went straight from school and it wasn’t a date. That was why I had suggested McDonald’s at the same time he had suggested Burger King. The thought of eating their burgers was enough to make me feel bile rise in my throat, though, so he had given in and driven us to McDonald’s instead.

  See? He’s really sweet when he chooses to show it.

  “God, I love McDonald’s,” I moaned, bringing a fry into my mouth. Collin chuckled, but covered it up with a cough. “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just that you sound exactly…” he trailed off and looked away.

  “Exactly like what?”

  “Never mind. It’s not the weekend yet so I can’t really discuss it.”

  “Oh, come on with the whole weekend-shit! We agreed on kissing. We can talk about anything, just not be kissing unless it’s a weekend.”

  “Okay, then. You sounded exactly like when I fucked you with my fingers,” he answered smugly, waggling his fingers in front of my face as if to emphasize his point.

  “Okay, I get it,” I told him, slapping his fingers away. “The fries are better, though.”

  “Name a date and place and I shall prove otherwise when you’re not intoxicated.”

  “You’re so full of it,” I mumbled under my breath, liking the idea a hell of a lot more than I should have.

  I shut up about it and so did he.

  We only talked about some easier stuff like the weather and graduation. I wanted to ask him if he had talked to his dad yet, but I doubted it since we had spoken about it only yesterday.

  Collin needed more time than that.

  The funny thing was, though, that if he actually went to New York, we would be living in the same city. What were the odds?

  “You want to watch a movie about fishes?” I asked, not really liking the idea. I would rather watch one with a hot guy and some kisses.

 
We were standing outside the movie theatre, trying to choose a movie to watch. It didn’t prove to be the easiest thing to do with two stubborn people.

  “Not just any fishes, Belly. But big fishes that start to eat pretty girls like yourself.”

  “I thought you said I was sexy as hell,” I teased, feigning hurt. I didn’t really care about what he thought.

  “Good for you that the fishes only eat pretty girls and ugly dudes then.”

  I rolled my eyes and gave in. Collin sounded so excited about the movie and who knew, it might have been good.

  We bought a large popcorn to share along with two Cokes. Collin kept his side of the bargain and let me pay for half.

  “Oh my fucking God, that’s one shitty fish,” Collin blurted out, causing me to unleash the laughter I had been holding in because he couldn’t have said it better.

  The movie was so badly done it wasn’t even scary. Collin and I ended up laughing our asses off instead, earning a few glares from the rest. There was no way they could have thought the movie was good, though.

  That was how shitty it was.

  “Next time, I’ll choose the movie,” I said as we walked out of the theatre.

  “Next time? Do you admit to like me enough to go to the movies with me again?” He smirked.

  Busted.

  “I love going to the movies, but not by myself. You’re the only one who’s available all the time,” I answered with my own smirk.

  In reality, I did like his company and I didn’t mind going to another movie or two with him.

  DAY 17

  BELLA

  I HEARD A soft tap, but I was too tired to care so I snuggled back into my warm bed and tried to go back to sleep. Then I heard it again… and again.

  When I heard it for the fifth time, I got up from the bed with a growl.

  I hated the freaking tree outside my room. I had stopped being scared of monsters several years back when I realized it was just my tree that blew against my window, not a knocking monster.

  I wanted to break the branch that was destroying my sleep, but once I got to the window, I saw Collin standing on the ground. He was throwing small rocks on my window to get my attention.

  I furrowed my brows in confusion. Collin had told me that he was going to a party tonight, but instead he was standing in my backyard.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked after opening my window.

  “Can I come up?” he asked, sounding a bit… off.

  “Uh, sure. You need to be quiet, though,” I answered, taken aback by the vulnerable tone in his voice. He nodded and started climbing up the tree. “Don’t be ridiculous, Collin. You’ll hurt yourself! I’ll meet you down by the front door.”

  He smiled crookedly and nodded his head again, but at least he climbed back down again. Luckily, my dad was working tonight so it was just me and Jackson home. Normally, he would be up late watching TV, but it had been quiet for a while so I was sure he was asleep by now.

  I hoped so at least.

  As I opened the door, Collin flew straight into my arms, hugging my body so tight to his that it was hard for me to breath.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, trying to hug him back as I closed the door.

  “Can you just hold me?” he whispered.

  This was not the Collin I was used to. This wasn’t the cocky and arrogant version. No, this was a vulnerable and sad side of him.

  “Sure, let’s go upstairs to my room.”

  Normally, I wouldn’t have invited any guy up there, but this was different. Collin needed me, and as bad as it felt to even think it, it felt good to be needed. Besides, I trusted Collin’s ways and I knew he wouldn’t try anything I wasn’t comfortable with.

  “My dad found my acceptance letter from the school in New York today,” he whispered once we were situated on my small bed.

  By Collin’s appearance, his father’s reaction couldn’t have been good, but I asked anyway.

  “What did he say?”

  “He told me to pay for college myself if I wanted to study a major I had no real future in. That was before he kicked me out.”

  “I’m so sorry, Collin,” I told him sincerely, trying to comfort him by my embrace.

  He seemed to calm down when I started stroking his soft hair.

  “I was a bet,” I whispered out into the darkness, thinking back on how he had told me a secret of his own to make me feel better after spilling half of mine.

  “What?” he asked with a hint of panic.

  I ignored his reaction and continued. It was now or never. “I was James’ bet. He made a bet with his friends on how long it would take for him to make me sleep with him. Or rather, lose my virginity to him.

  “I was the good girl, which was basically the same as being the daughter of the town’s priest. It took him five weeks to make me give him a blow job. It took another week after that before I let him go down on me. Then a half week later, he was on top of me, grunting and moaning while I experienced the worst pain I have ever felt.”

  Now I was a crying mess, one of the reasons why I didn’t really talk about it. It didn’t stop me from spilling my heart out, though, and all Collin did was moving his hand up and down my side in a comforting gesture.

  “I found out about the bet when he had finished and was getting dressed. I remembered how he had laughed and told me how pathetic I was.

  “I told Jackson about it after spending a whole week alone in my room. Together, we sat down with my dad as I told about the events once again. We couldn’t press charges against him for raping me because it hadn’t been a rape and I could legally have sex.

  “My dad didn’t give up, though. He called James’ parents who were quite shocked that their golden boy could do something like that. Dad also threatened to press charges against him for having sex with a minor. A case like that wouldn’t hold in the court, but they didn’t know that.

  “James got scared and that’s how not many people know about this and that’s why he doesn't want me to tell.”

  Collin was quiet for a while and I was afraid that I had scared him off, or maybe even disgusted him because I’d had sex with him even sooner than with James. Right before I was about to apologize, he spoke.

  “I’m so sorry, Bella,” he murmured, looking up at me.

  I wiped my tears away and just as I was finished, he pressed his lips to mine. It wasn’t exactly the weekend yet since it was still Friday, but I didn’t care. I needed it, he needed it. We needed each other in that moment and it wasn’t just lust that drove us.

  Collin pulled away first and sat up slightly to bring my comforter up over our bodies before he hugged me to him. I was asleep within minutes.

  DAY 18

  COLLIN

  I FELT FUCKING sick.

  I was disgusted with myself.

  I had no idea how I could even bet against Rose in the first place. At the time, I had cared less about feelings, but now, it wasn’t just a bet anymore. There were feelings involved. Both mine and Bella’s.

  I was going to end the bet. I had been thinking about doing that for almost a week now, but last night had been the final straw. This shit couldn’t go on any longer.

  Looking down at the sleeping beauty in my arms, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and texted Rose.

  The bet is over. You win.

  I hugged Bella’s body tighter to mine and nuzzled my face in her hair. She was amazing. After what she had told me last night, I understood her better. And I also wanted to fuck up James for what he did, and after that, I wanted to hire someone to fuck me up as well.

  Although, without my fucking bet with Rose, I would never have gone over to Bella and I wouldn’t have fallen for her.

  “You’re awake?” Bella asked groggily, turning her head to look at me, effectively pulling me out of my thoughts.

  Fuck, she’s adorable in the morning.

  “Yeah, I just woke up,” I answered just as groggily.

  “Mm, okay.�
� She sighed and hugged my arm closer to her and snuggled back into her pillow. Then she went back to sleep. I could feel her soft breath on my forearm and I laughed at her before I got comfortable again, just holding her as she slept.

  I guess Belly isn’t a morning person.

  “You should wake up, Belly,” I mumbled after a little while, kissing her neck.

  “I don’t want to,” she whispered

  “It’s already eleven in the morning.”

  “What?” she asked loudly as she sat up, suddenly wide awake.

  I laughed. “I’m kidding. It’s only ten-thirty.”

  “I can’t believe I slept that long,” she groaned and lay back down, facing me.

  “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have…” I started, but she cut me off by putting her palm against my mouth.

  “It’s okay. Don’t apologize for that,” she protested, still sleepy. I nodded my head and she moved her hand away. “Are you going to talk to your dad?”

  She didn’t sound accusing or judging as she asked. That had been one of the reasons to why I had gone to her last night.

  “Not today,” I mumbled, laying my face in the crook of her neck. Last night, I had named it as my favorite place on earth. Next to being inside of her. Nothing could beat that. “Maybe after the weekend.”

  “What does your mom say? And Duncan?”

  “Duncan and Rose are in Seattle for the weekend. Mom just sat quiet in a corner.”

  She had been the one to always support me with my music, but last night, she had been blank. She hadn’t uttered a word and that was probably the worst thing. Not my dad kicking me out, or being disappointed with me. No, it was my mom’s actions, or lack thereof.

  “Okay,” Bella whispered, caressing my hair, not pressing me for more information.

  We lay in silence for almost half an hour before she excused herself to get dressed. I still wore the same clothes as last night, but I didn’t stink so I didn’t care.